<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<meta charset="UTF-8">
<title>The Red Spiral: Renewed by TheStrongestChosenOne</title>
<style type="text/css">

body { background-color: #ffffff; }
.CI {
text-align:center;
margin-top:0px;
margin-bottom:0px;
padding:0px;
}
.center   {text-align: center;}
.cover    {text-align: center;}
.full     {width: 100%; }
.quarter  {width: 25%; }
.smcap    {font-variant: small-caps;}
.u        {text-decoration: underline;}
.bold     {font-weight: bold;}
</style>
</head>
<body>
<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/27447916">The Red Spiral: Renewed</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheStrongestChosenOne/pseuds/TheStrongestChosenOne'>TheStrongestChosenOne</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Naruto</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Action/Adventure, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Cross-Posted on FanFiction.Net, Dai-hachi-han | Team 8 (Naruto)-centric, Eventual Romance, Gen, Naruto is in team 8, Training</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-11-08</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-04-23</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-07 03:02:26</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>3</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>6,550</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/27447916</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheStrongestChosenOne/pseuds/TheStrongestChosenOne</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Naruto begins his ninja career by attending Konoha's Ninja Academy, and eventually befriends Hinata. He must work hard to prove himself after he graduates with average grades. Naruto wants to show the world that he is better than average. It may even lead to a powerful ninja wanting to train him.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Hyuuga Hinata &amp; Uzumaki Naruto</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>3</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Chapter 1</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The fresh layer of snow on the ground crunched as a young boy ran through it. It did not matter if he disturbed it or not, as students would trample it the next day anyway. The red-haired boy had soon noticed a few sets of tracks in the snow, which entered the small cluster of trees nearby. As he walked over to where the footprints lead to, the shouting grew louder.</p><p> </p><p>“C’mon, apologize! You stuck up, noble!” The redhead’s eyes widened as he saw a dark-haired girl on her hands and knees surrounded by three boys that looked a year or two older than her. A spark of disgust created a wave of burning anger as he heard them force the girl to apologize over and over again.</p><p> </p><p>“I’m Naruto Uzumaki, the future Hokage!” he said, “And I won’t let you continue being jerks in this village!” The three boys turned to face Naruto before they had begun laughing in what felt like a mocking way.</p><p> </p><p>“You, Hokage? Don’t make me laugh,” the boy with a cap said. Without warning, he had pulled back his fist and struck a whiskered cheek. Naruto fell onto the ground and had soon felt the cold snow seeped into his thin clothing.</p><p> </p><p>“Ha! That shows hi-” A swift tackle cut the caped boy off, which sent him to the ground where he sent Naruto.</p><p> </p><p>Naruto stumbled to his feet once more before the other two boys, who remained idle until now, grabbed his arms. They had slammed him back onto the ground and kept his limbs in place. Cap-Boy picked himself off the ground before he had brushed off his pants. He slowly walked towards Naruto, and his friends, before he loomed over him like a giant. The shadows on his face seemed to make his wicked smile turn demonic.</p><p> </p><p>“I’ll show you what happens when you pick a fight against me!” Cap-Boy said. He demonstrated by punching his left palm with the typical expression of adults when Naruto was nearby. Cap-Boy threw everything he had into every punch, which bruised Naruto almost instantly. A few minutes passed before a voice broke the sound of fists hitting flesh.</p><p> </p><p>“Lady Hinata!” The three bullies had looked between each other before they ran in the opposite direction of the voice. No more than a minute later, a man had entered the cluster of trees.</p><p> </p><p>“Let’s go, Lady Hinata. You mustn’t get involved with him.” The man had ignored Hinata’s further protests as he pulled her away. She continued to watch Naruto, even though he remained motionless on the ground.</p><p> </p><p>That was the last time Hinata saw Naruto, until the first day of the Ninja Academy. Her face burned with heat as she saw him enter the classroom. Her mouth has begun to open but quickly closed as he climbed the stairs between the desks. Even though Hinata did not call to him, Naruto had still chosen to sit next to her.</p><p> </p><p>Hinata watched Naruto as he looked around the room with excitement. However, she had also noticed a faint glimmer of fear in his eyes. Without thinking, Hinata reached out her hand to grab his. Upon realizing what she had done, a bright blush covered her entire face.</p><p> </p><p>“Hey, are you okay?” Naruto asked. He noticed Hinata sway in her seat before she fell to the floor unconscious. His other classmates had begun to stare as they heard the impact. Naruto quickly sat on the floor and drew his limbs against his body. It had been nothing but instinct that led him to close himself up under the gazes of those around him. The villagers never physically hurt Naruto, but the glares they sent his way made even the smallest look felt malicious.</p><p> </p><p>“You might want to get her to the nurse,” a quiet voice said. Naruto had slowly raised his head to look at the boy who spoke. He almost looked like an ANBU member with how his face obscured with a hooded jacket.</p><p> </p><p>“Oh, r-right!” Naruto carefully moved to sit on his knees before he had slapped his cheeks a couple of times. Now was not the time to freeze up, a girl was lying unconscious on the floor here. With a deep breath and the determination that soon bubbled to life, Naruto pulled Hinata into a sitting position. The boy that had spoken earlier kept her up while he spun around to carry her on his back.</p><p> </p><p>Naruto carefully brought himself to his feet to avoid dropping Hinata. He adjusted her slightly to make sure she was on securely before he began his run down the stairs. He had ignored the stares that were shot his way, it was not the time to be scurrying behind a piece of furniture to hide. Just before Naruto made it to the door, a man with a scar on his nose had entered the room.</p><p> </p><p>The man looked Naruto up and down before he said, “What happened here?” Naruto felt as his muscles tensed at the stern tone. That usually meant he was in trouble, but he had a good reason to not follow the rules this time.</p><p> </p><p>“Yeah, tell him you <em>baby</em>!” an obnoxiously loud voice said. Naruto had tensed even more before he saw the man give him an encouraging look as if he was saying, ‘It’s fine. I just want to know what happened.’</p><p> </p><p>“I think I may have frightened her- or something,” Naruto rambled, “Cause.. um-I guess what I’m saying is-”</p><p> </p><p>“Just take her to the nurse’s office near the stairs by the entrance.” The man had sighed as he pinched the bridge of his nose. Naruto sheepishly grinned as a blushed formed on his cheeks.</p><p> </p><p>Naruto had turned his body to keep facing the man as he left the room. It was not that he did not trust him, but most adults acted like he was a demon. The hallway had felt like a sanctuary without people with judging glares. The walls echoed Naruto’s footsteps as he jogged down towards the nurse.</p><p> </p><p>‘I hope I get a chance to apologize to her, I feel bad for making her faint. Maybe after this, we can be friends. Oh! I can invite her to Ichiraku’s!’ Naruto had smiled at himself for coming up with such a brilliant idea. Buying Ichiraku Ramen was the best act of apology ever.</p><p> </p><p>Naruto had practically teleported to the nurse’s office when the lunch bell had rung. He planned to apologize and buy her all the ramen she could eat. Nobody would stop him, well that is what he thought before he saw a man in loose-fitting robes and a haori. The man wore a stern expression, and the aura around him was almost nerve-racking.</p><p> </p><p>Naruto’s eyes had turned to Hinata as she exited the nurse’s office. She lightly blushed as a hint of an upset expression painted her face. The man glared at Naruto as he was about to walk to Hinata. The gaze petrified him to no end.</p><p> </p><p>“Hinata, come,” the man commanded. His blank eyes had continued to drill holes into Naruto’s, which caused a feeling of helplessness deep inside of him.</p><p> </p><p>“Yes, Father.” Hinata offered Naruto a smile before she continued to walk with Hiashi. The redhead sank to his knees the moment he turned around. Nobody was kidding when they said the Hyugas’ gazes were deadly, but this took it in a less deadly direction.</p><p> </p><p>“I will be watching you, Uzumaki,” Hiashi said. He had then left the building with a bang as the door was nearly slammed shut.</p><p> </p><p>Many of Naruto’s classmates had given him annoyed looks as he ran passed them in the hall. They were on their way to the Academy Training Grounds for, well, training. Whatever Iruka had planned was bound to be good, at least that is what Naruto hoped. It could not be that bad, since every student here wanted to be a ninja; and ninja had to learn to use Chakra to stay alive. Naruto grinned as he saw the door outside. This was it, he was about to take step one on his journey to be Hokage.</p><p> </p><p>The wind rustled red locks as Naruto nearly fell out of the door, a side effect of nearly tackling it. The buzz of conversation, and bugs, became louder the closer to the training ground he was. Around the corner had been multiple posts and targets that were arranged in straight lines around the clearing. Naruto also noticed several trees around the perimeter, none a swing like the one out front. He was rather fond of said swing.</p><p> </p><p>“I can already use Chakra,” a brown-haired boy complained. The boy in a light grey hooded jacket just simply nodded to signal he was listening. Naruto felt like he had interacted with the hooded boy, but was not sure when that had been. With a shrug, he walked over to a post and sat down with his back against it. The wood was rough, even through clothes, not that there was time to complain.</p><p> </p><p>“Everyone, listen up! Like I said earlier, this afternoon you will be learning to draw on and or improve your use of Chakra,” Iruka said, “To do that, a leaf will be given to all of you. With it, everyone should try and draw their Chakra to the leaf to make it stick on your forehead.”</p><p> </p><p>“But sensei! Most of us know how to use Chakra already!” the same obnoxious voice from earlier shouted. A visible tick mark had made its way onto Iruka’s forehead. Sass was not something that he took lightly.</p><p> </p><p>“If you’d rather fail this class, I can send a form to your mother so she can consent with you being held back a year.” The boy had instantly paled at that as a whimper escaped his lips. Iruka had waited a minute to see if the rest were fine with continuing.</p><p> </p><p>When no one else objected, Iruka cut a leaf from one of the trees. Shushed murmurs scattered the area as Iruka placed the foliage to his forehead protector. With sudden gusto, the leaf twirled before it twirled off and stuck to a pink-haired girl’s forehead. Said girl grabbed the leaf, and look it over in wonder.</p><p> </p><p>Iruka had started to cut leaves off the trees as students began to line up. The line soon spilt off into like three branches, so Naruto just joined a random one and watched how his classmates scattered. Small groups formed slowly as the line shortened. None of them seemed like they wanted someone else to join them, so Naruto took this own leaf to where had been sitting before.</p><p> </p><p>“For those of you who don’t know how to draw Chakra, listen up! For the first few times, until you are used to drawing on it, you will need to meditate. To meditate, you have to sit cross-legged, shut your eyes, and take deep breaths. If you feel a mass of energy, slowly drag it around your system as practice before you bring it to where you need it. To do find your Chakra, it may be easier to use the ram hand sign you were taught this morning.”</p><p> </p><p>‘Alright, that sounds easy enough,’ Naruto thought. He had pulled his legs towards his body before taking a few deep breaths. He formed the ram sign as he felt the river grow larger. Naruto had felt confident when he felt a decent amount of energy, so he began to pull it from his abdomen to his forehead.</p><p> </p><p>Naruto placed the leaf onto his forehead before he concentrated his Chakra to it. Without warning, it shot passed his hand and fell to the ground a meter away. Naruto had huffed as he noticed where the leaf wound up. Training to properly use Chakra was going to be difficult, but it was so worth it. He grinned like a loon as he mentally accepted the challenge. This exercise would give him something to do at home too.</p><p> </p><p>“Sakura, that’s amazing! How did you do it longer than me?” a girl shouted.</p><p> </p><p>“Well, it wasn’t that much longer though,” Sakura said, “I’m not used to using my Chakra yet, so I don’t know.” Iruka walked towards the girl and placed his hand on her head.</p><p> </p><p>“It’s alright, you will get it eventually,” Iruka reassured her, “It takes time to do anything well.”</p><p> </p><p>“Thank you, sensei! I’ll try until I can do it for a minute or more!” The girl beside her had appeared to scoff before she egotistical smiled.</p><p> </p><p>“If that’s the case, I’ll do it for a minute and a half or more!” The girls had begun to, in Naruto’s opinion, playfully bicker with each other as Iruka approached another group of students. Naruto had wanted to talk with the girls to ask how they did it, but he wanted to try more than once before he did.</p><p> </p><p>Naruto closed his eyes and began to find his pool of Chakra again. Once he had found it, he tried to take less of it. Naruto was not sure if did grab less, but he pulled it to his forehead once again. The leaf shot away from Naruto once again. However, this time it appeared to be closer to him this time. A smile had made itself at home on his face. The afternoon had continued on like that until the moment classes ended.</p><p> </p><p>Naruto had sighed as he threw out his instant ramen cup. He was a bit upset that everyone else in his class managed to get the leaf to stick, even if it was a few seconds. As he walked into his bedroom, the leaf called out to him from the rickety table beside his bed. Maybe it was time to try again, just to show that he is at least on par with his classmates.</p><p> </p><p>Naruto had held the leaf to his forehead as he meditated on the floor. Chakra flowed through his body to reach his forehead, and it began to gather. The leaf clung for a second before it was blown away by a pulse of Chakra. Naruto grumbled as he stood up, why did the damn thing have to fly away with him when most of his classmates’ just fell from their foreheads.</p><p> </p><p>“Huh? Why does my leaf have a tear in it?” Naruto asked to the air. He knew that was not there before this attempt. Maybe his Chakra tore it, but how could that have been possible. With a shrug, Naruto returned to training. He had hoped to get the stupid leaf to stick before he went to bed.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Chapter 2</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The sun had shone through tattered curtains before it hit a leaf with a few tears in it. A groan broke through the silence of the room. Naruto had pushed himself up and off the floor, where he left the leaf. He rubbed his eyes tiredly before he took note of where he had been sleeping.</p>
<p>“This has to be the last time I sleep on the floor," Naruto groaned. He had the feeling it would not be as he stood up, but maybe one day it would be. The bathroom was small but still functioned without hot water. Someone was supposed to fix that, but no one had come. Naruto did not mind; he was not one to shower every day anyway.</p>
<p>Naruto knew he had to today, considering he slept on the floor. He pulled on the wrench he used as a handle, and the cold water made him jump. Maybe one-day hot water would return. That would not help his bathing habits, however. </p>
<p>After Naruto had changed, he went into the kitchen. He pushed aside empty ramen containers on the counter before he hoisted himself onto it. The best food ever was kept on the top shelf. Today Naruto had felt like beef flavour, and luckily there was one left.</p>
<p>Naruto had turned on the stove, but it felt like the water boiled too slowly. Three minutes was also too long for supposedly instant ramen; it was certainly not instant. The jerk who had named it would pay if they were still alive.</p>
<p>Naruto had angrily shoved ramen in his mouth. He knew classes would be starting soon, but he did not care. After Naruto had finished eating, he picked up his backpack and ran for the door. He did not bother locking it; there was nothing in his apartment worth stealing anyway. If anybody had entered the apartment, they would agree. Naruto ran down the stairs and dodged the other residents before he made it to the street below. </p>
<p>Naruto ran as fast as he could towards the Ninja Academy. Along the way, he had passed a few ninja who seemed to have just returned from missions. A few merchants opened their stores already so they could get money from the returning ninja. The air sent shivers across the village as the wind blew. Autumn was nearing, and everybody could feel its first signs. Luckily, Naruto could see the red building of the Academy in the distance. He would be in warm comfort soon enough.</p>
<p>Naruto had grinned as he nearly slammed open the door and entered the classroom. He gazed around for an empty spot before he ran up to the back of the room. Naruto's hair had covered his eyes as soon as he fell to the chair. He brushed his hair out of his eyes quickly before placing his notebook in front of him.</p>
<p>“Good morning! Hinata, was it? My name's Naruto!" She had let out a squeak but still managed to nod. Hinata took a deep breath as she waited for her heart to settle. Naruto had waited semi-patently for the girl to respond. </p>
<p>“Good morning, and yes, that is my name." Hinata had brushed a strand of hair back as she gazed down at her lap. Naruto tilted his head as he watched her play with the hem of her shirt. Before he could come up with something to say, the door to the classroom door opened. Iruka had walked in with a binder, and he looked around the room. Naruto noticed the binder looked fuller than it did yesterday; they had actual work today. </p>
<p>“Alright, everyone, quiet down!" Several students ignored Iruka's request, either because they had not heard him or by choice. The man seemed to be quite annoyed by that, which caused his head to grow.</p>
<p>"Quiet down!" Every student had jumped in surprise; some even slide under their desks to hide. Iruka sighed before he did rollcall to make sure everyone was present. Afterwards, he had grabbed a piece of chalk. The subject for the first class was: Geography, which was everything or so Naruto heard from some random guy in the grocery store. </p>
<p>Naruto had written down a few things that he thought was important during the lecture. He knew learning about other countries would be beneficial as a ninja, but it was hard to concentrate when Iruka was talking so evenly.</p>
<p>The information had sounded boring, as it was not much more than names, locations, and if the Land of Fire had conflicts with the country or not. Hopefully, the rest of the classes were not as dull.</p>
<p>Naruto had yawned as soon as they were let off for lunch. He stretched as soon as he got up from his chair. He had seen Hinata stand as well, out of the corner of his eye. Now was the time to ask if she wanted to have lunch with him, or he would not get the chance later.</p>
<p>"Hinata, wanna grab lunch with?" She had blushed before she pushed her index fingers together. Her eyes also seemed to dart from side to side, as if she did not want to say no.</p>
<p>"I... I'm sorry, but I can't today. Maybe we can tomorrow," Hinata stuttered. Naruto's smile had slipped briefly before it came back twice as strong. A blush formed on Hinata's face, but she stood with her feet firmly on the floor.</p>
<p>“Let me know when you’re free, okay?” Hinata had nodded, which cause Naruto to wish her a good lunch as he ran out.</p>
<p>A month had passed uneventfully, which made Naruto bored. That was why he began skipping classes to practise the few skills Iruka had taught them. It had also been the reason the Hokage requested a meeting with him.</p>
<p>Naruto had sighed as he walked through the Academy’s Administration Building. Hiruzen would be in the Mission Reception, but since it was noon, nobody else would be there. The halls had been quiet, but Naruto appreciated it since he knew the Hokage would soon be lecturing him. He took a deep breath and entered the Mission Reception room. </p>
<p>Hiruzen had been sitting behind the long desk, looking at some paperwork. It was the first time Naruto entered this room, and for a good reason. He had taken a moment to look around the room before he approached the Hokage. The room was silent for a moment before the Hokage looked up at Naruto.</p>
<p>“Hello, Naruto," Hiruzen said, "Do you know why I called you here?" Naruto had looked away from the Hokage for a moment before he smiled at him. </p>
<p>"Because you're letting me graduate early?" Hiruzen had shaken his head at that with a small smile on his face. He appreciated the joke, but there was no way that was it. </p>
<p>"Not yet that will have to wait a year or two. It is because I wanted to know why you have been skipping your classes," Hiruzen said, "I'm worried that you will be held back a year if this keeps up, or even expelled."</p>
<p>"... Eh, they aren't that exciting," Naruto admitted, "I know they are important, but the classes feel like a waste of time." He had felt Hiruzen's intense gaze bore into his soul. Naruto felt scrutiny being bored into his very being. </p>
<p>“No matter how boring you think your classes are, they need to be attended every day unless you are sick. If you do not attend them regularly, I will have no choice but to expel you." Naruto had frozen in place once he saw Hiruzen's face. That was a promise and not just an empty threat. </p>
<p>"Don't worry, gramps!" Naruto exclaimed, "I'll have start tomorrow, I promise!" </p>
<p>“Thank you, Naruto,” Hiruzen said, “Now I need to continue reading this report, so you’re free to leave now.”</p>
<p>“Alright, see you later!” Naruto had flashed Hiruzen a grin before he ran from the room. Tomorrow would be a new day, but not an interesting one, unfortunately.</p>
<p>Naruto had walked down the halls of the Academy. It was still a few minutes before classes started, so there was no need to run. He felt nervous about how Iruka would react. Naruto had remembered when his classmates were disruptive and shivered as he neared the door.</p>
<p>‘Let's get this over with.' Naruto had slowly reached the door and opened it. Upon entering the room, he saw Iruka at the front of the class. The bell to start class had rung before Iruka could speak.</p>
<p>"Get to your seat, Naruto. Also, see me after classes today." Naruto only nodded before he walked to the single-seat left next to some of his classmates that he did not know. The day would be very long at this point.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Chapter 3</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>It had taken Naruto a month in after-class sessions to complete the work he missed. Iruka helped him when he needed it, but it was mostly his own work. The grades gotten in those late classes were not the best, but they were enough to get Naruto to the middle of his class.</p>
<p>Naruto had continued working the best he could while training in the leaf exercise. It almost took him a year to get as good as some of the other students he saw on the first day. Though, Naruto had success in most other exercises besides Genjutsu; which would have been concerning, if he could not at least dispel them.</p>
<p>Naruto had tried to work on Genjutsu as much as he could all throughout his second year in the Academy, but it remained stagnant. He just wanted to prove himself to his classmates that thought so lowly of him. It would have meant a lot to him, but Iruka’s really motivated speech about how nobody could be good at everything boasted his spirit. Naruto had really appreciated the Chunin for that, it meant more than he could ever describe.</p>
<p>With blood, sweat and tears, Naruto had trained his damned hardest in every other aspect he almost entirely ignored that year. He aimed to ready himself for the application process to graduate early later that year. Sadly, despite his approval into the program, Naruto had failed to graduate that year. He did not let that deter him, and just decided he would focus his efforts in his third year.</p>
<p>Naruto’s progress had boasted Hinata’s vigour enough that she began to train harder as well, which pleased her father. Maybe Naruto was not as bad as Hiashi had once thought. That did not mean he would approve of their friendship, but Naruto’s effect on Hinata was quite apparent. Enough so that, both of them were second in line to be the best ninja in their year.</p>
<p>That being said, however, did not mean Hinata agreed to apply to graduate early with Naruto at the end of their third year in the Academy since only one student was allowed that honour. That did not deter Naruto, as he still wanted to test his progress. He wanted to be certain he actually deserved the respect his other classmates began to slowly give him.</p>
<p>“Iruka-Sensei! Here’s my form for the Early Graduation!” Naruto almost yelled. Iruka sighed as he took the papers, his enthusiasm could be draining at times. That did not mean it was a bad thing, just hard to deal with.</p>
<p>“I’ll let you know tomorrow when it’s decided who will take the exam,” Iruka said. He placed the papers on top of another set, not that Naruto noticed.</p>
<p>“Alri- Wait! What do you mean by decided? Aren’t I the only one, again?” Iruka had sighed at that, he may have become slightly egotistical at this point.</p>
<p>“Please sit down, class is about to start.” Ironically, that is when the bell had rung. Naruto’s face dropped with a sigh as he turned to walk to his desk. As he walked passed Sasuke, he noticed him smirk out of the corner of his eye. That soured Naruto’s mood even further, to the point he was already making a plan to beat the dark-haired boy.</p>
<p>‘I’ll show you, Sasuke,’ Naruto thought, ‘I’ll be taking the exam this time too!’ And he had been true to his word as well, but nobody knew the manner of how. Though they could speculate, Naruto sabotaged Sasuke’s chances; they could not prove that, however.</p>
<p>Naruto happily skipped down the halls on what he hoped was his final day of classes; each step was full of vigour. A grin threatened to rip his face in two. It felt great to be the only student from Iruka’s class to take the exam early, even if he had rigged it. If he managed to graduate early this time, the look on Sasuke’s face would be the icing on top of the proverbial cake.</p>
<p>‘Pfft, prodigy... give me a break,’ Naruto thought, ‘They are all lucky bastards that happen to be born into those damn clans, or into wealthy families. If it weren’t for that, they would be just like the rest of us.’ Some part of Naruto’s mind knew that might not be entirely true, but that did not stop him from believing it.</p>
<p>‘I’ll prove that the average person can surpass a genius. No matter how hard or long I have to train to make that happen!’ Naruto had glanced up and noticed he was almost at Class 303. His face instantly lit up, as he quickened his pace. The door was enthusiastically opened, which made every older student glared at Naruto. He froze in place briefly as their gazes lingered, but had relaxed once they began to return to their activities.</p>
<p>Naruto brushed some of his red hair from his face before he took a few calming breaths. He was broken from his stupor as he was shoved away from the door. Standing in the door was a boy with angry off-white eyes. To say Naruto was shocked to see a Hyuga was here would be an understatement. Hinata had never said anything about one of her family members being in the grade above them. Naruto just assumed at that point, that not every Hyuga knew each other.</p>
<p>“I’m sorry!” Naruto said quickly, “I didn’t mean to block your way in!” He saw the other boy huff as he shut the door. If he angered him, maybe he could pull some strings to not be put on his team. It would suck if they could not get along on a team together. Naruto knew how teams worked but had came to the conclusion that everyone needed to be friendly for them to work properly.</p>
<p>“You are not fated to be here yet,” the boy stated before he approached a desk near the from of the classroom. Naruto bit his tongue to prevent what Iruka had dubbed a hotheaded explosion. No matter how annoyed he was, or how much he wanted to retort, he would not let this chance at graduation be thwarted by a fight.</p>
<p>Iruka had warned Naruto earlier that day not to start a fight. If he did, the teacher in charge of this exam would send him back to his class without a chance to take the exam. That was fair, but various insults flared to life regardless. Naruto kept his tongue tied, as he walked to the back of the class, he would pass this time for sure; or so he thought.</p>
<p>Naruto sat down on the lone swing on the Academy grounds with a sigh. The area was quiet, but thoughts were running rampant. The teachers were hard asses this time around, as they made everyone perform all three Academy taught jutsu; if they failed even one, they failed to graduate. Naruto felt a mix of spite and pity for the boy with bushy eyebrows, who was passed because he could not use chakra.</p>
<p>‘Why didn’t they let me pass?’ Naruto thought angrily, ‘I know that one boy couldn’t use Chakra or whatever, but I only failed at the Clone Jutsu!’ The teacher must have used every ounce of pity they had on that bushy-browed boy. Naruto knew it was not fair to blame the older boy, but what made them decide he was unworthy of graduating because of one damned jutsu. Maybe over the next year that would change.</p>
<p>Sunlight trickled through tattered curtains that had patchy and messy stitches throughout. They seemed to be the same material as the bedding the light landed upon. A groan faded into a yawn as the bed creaked as the weight on top of it shifted from side to side. A sigh emanated from under the comforter before Naruto sat up. It took a few minutes for him to get out of bed, but it did not matter; he had time to kill after all.</p>
<p>In the future, Naruto hoped he could renovate his apartment, and even expand into the others in the building. Not that it was a high priority since he needed to become a ninja first. Without another thought, Naruto left his bedroom and walked over to the opposite wall where the kitchen was.</p>
<p>The stove flickered to life after several attempts, soon a frying pan was placed onto it. Naruto quickly grabbed a few eggs from the fridge and cracked them onto the heated pan. The sizzle of the pan delighted Naruto just as it had when his friends at Ichiraku Ramen taught him to cook ‘beginner’ recipes.</p>
<p>“Wait! It’s Monday!” Naruto exclaimed. He bounced from foot to foot as he waited for his eggs to cook, not wanting to get sick like last time he rushed cooking food. A moment later, he stuffed the eggs into his mouth. Hands clutched over his mouth as he chewed, the heat burned his tongue worse with each second that passed. Naruto ran to the faucet, and drunk straight from it; the burning sensation had slowly subsided.</p>
<p>Naruto sprinted into his room and flung a dresser drawer open, which had ripped half of the handle off. He huffed before he threw the handle across the room, there was no time to fix it. Clothes began to fly around the room as they were thrown. Orange, black, and white littered the floor and bed as Naruto looked for his tracksuit pants.</p>
<p>The sun shone unobstructed in the sky, warming the ground below it. People happily walked the streets in light, loose clothing; Naruto was no exception. He wore his favourite tracksuit pants and a white t-shirt with the jacket tied around his waist. A light smile remained glued to his face, as today was the first day of his last year in the Academy; it was a day to celebrate and rejoice. A ninja had freedom and respect, the two things Naruto wanted most in life.</p>
<p>The Academy beckoned its students forward as they neared. Each students’ attitude varied to some degree, but the most common one was tired. Most of them were used to waking when they wanted but now had to arrive for classes before they started at 8:30 am.</p>
<p>“Morning, Hinata!” Naruto greeted as he sat down beside her. She blushed, but still offered a small smile.</p>
<p>“Good Morning, Naruto.” Naruto struck up a conversation with her as they waited for class to start.</p>
<p>Several minutes after the bell rang, Iruka walked into the classroom, where the students busied themselves with varied tasks. The dominant sound was chatter, it made sense; many of the students had not seen each other for a month and a half. Iruka left them alone for a couple of minutes as he set up his podium.</p>
<p>“Alright, class, eyes front!” Iruka said, “I know we haven’t seen each other for a while, and that’s why today is going to be an easy start into the rest of the year.” Iruka started with roll-call, then reviewed the History they had learned the previous years. The class continued to study various subjects until the afternoon when Iruka dragged them to the training ground.</p>
<p>“Instead of training physically, you will just be sparing today,” Iruka said, “After your fights, you can leave early. Since there is an odd amount of students today, I'll fight the remaining one.” The first few fights were not great, to say the least; a majority of the kids had not improved over the summer. Naruto casually chatted with Hinata as the fights between the students he never cared to speak with happened.</p>
<p>“Next up is...” Iruka said before he examined the crowd and chose two students at random.</p>
<p>“Sakura Haruno and Kiba Inuzuka.” Gasps and mumbles filled the training ground as the fighters entered the ring. Kiba was one of the best students in Taijutsu, he rivalled Sasuke for the top spot.</p>
<p>“Ready... Go!” Kiba shot forward impatiently, and he partially drew back his fist. He quickly stomped his foot on the ground and spun. Sakura instinctively brought her arms to block, but they were pushed into her body. The momentum made the girl skid back a few feet. A kick struck Sakura in the cheek before she could react; a trail of blood was left in its wake.</p>
<p>“The winner is Kiba Inuzuka,” Iruka announced. As he checked Sakura and patched her up as needed, Kiba swaggered passed his classmates. Naruto scowled as Kiba neared him, what was his problem.</p>
<p>“Why are you so confident?” Naruto asked, “Was your self-worth so low that beating one of the worst students in Taijutsu an ego boost?” Kiba had stilled as Naruto talked, nails dug into flesh while doing so.</p>
<p>“Break it up!” Iruka called, “Next up is Sasuke Uchiha vs Hinata Hyuga.” Naruto’s eyes widened in shock. It was not like he expected to fight Sasuke; it had become something of a routine, though.</p>
<p>“Good luck, Hinata!” Naruto called. Hinata gave him a smile that felt like it shot through his heart. Naruto smiled back before she turned her back to him. He slowly walked closer to the edge of the ring, just in case Hinata came flew out of it.</p>
<p>Sasuke waited ten seconds after Iruka started the match, but Hinata refused to make the first move. He ran forward and aimed a punch at the girl’s head. Hinata felt a light breeze hit her cheek, which showed how close the blow was to hitting her. Without waiting for his opponent to recover, Sasuke knelled and swept the ground with his leg.</p>
<p>Hinata jumped over Sasuke’s kick, but she had not made it over, which caused her to stumble. With the momentum, she spun on her foot and kicked him. Sasuke stumbled forward, which gave Hinata enough time to get more distance between them. Within seconds, Sasuke closed the gap. Hinata froze in place before a punch to her gut pushed her over the perimeter.</p>
<p>“Are you okay, Hinata?” Naruto asked. He knew Sasuke did not go that hard on her, he never did with those he knew could not fight back to his standards. That is what Naruto’s fights with him told him anyway.</p>
<p>“... Yes, thank you.” Naruto helped Hinata to her feet and wished her well before she headed home. The next couple of fights between Choji and Shino, and Shikamaru and Ino were nothing impressive. Shino was below average in taijutsu, but Choji was not much better; he preferred to munch on chips than fight. While Shikamaru forfeited after Ino gave him a black eye, claiming he found the whole thing troublesome.</p>
<p>Naruto took a deep breath as he faced Iruka. He wanted to show the man how much he improved, even if it meant punching him. After a minute of staring Iruka down, Naruto shot forward; the man had quickly blocked it, as if he knew what the boy would do. Iruka threw Naruto to the side, sending him rolling across the ground, just shy of the white line. Even though the first attempt had been botched, Naruto kept bombarding the man with the same trick at new angles.</p>
<p>‘His form has gotten better,’ Iruka thought, ‘But he has no sense of strategy or advanced technique.’ Iruka grabbed Naruto’s fist once more before twisting it behind his back.</p>
<p>“Alright, that is quite enough, Naruto,” Iruka sighed, “I'll give you a passing grade this time around. But, I expect to see some strategy next time, because any other ninja will not be afraid to exploit your rush in approach.”</p>
<p>“Thank you for the advice, sensei! I’ll see you tomorrow!” Naruto ran from the Academy grounds without a look back; if he had, he would have seen Iruka shake his head.</p>
  </div></div>
</body>
</html>